Claim or self-pay: effect on premium and claim-free years

The core of the decision: what does a claim really cost?

Making an insurance claim may feel like the easy route: you've paid premiums, so why pay out of pocket? But the real cost of a claim goes beyond the repair bill. Especially with car insurance, the system of claim-free years (schadevrije jaren) and no-claims discount (no-claimkorting) weighs heavily. When you claim, you typically drop a number of years on the bonus-malus ladder. As a result, your premium increases not just the next year, but stays higher until you rebuild the lost years—an effect that can last five to ten years. Other non-life insurances like contents, buildings, travel, and personal liability can also have premium or discount consequences. The key question is: does the amount you save now by claiming outweigh the extra premium you'll pay for years? In this article, we help you understand the calculation—without giving personal advice on what you should do.

• Your deductible (eigen risico): most car, contents, and buildings policies have a mandatory or voluntary excess you pay first.
• The impact on your claim-free years: with car insurance, you often fall back 5 years, reducing your no-claims discount.
• The no-claims discount and break-even point: calculate whether the premium benefit of not claiming outweighs the immediate cost.
• Any reporting obligation (meldplicht): many policies require you to report an incident, even if you pay the damage yourself.
• The likelihood of future claims: if you expect more damage, an untouched bonus is especially valuable.

How claim-free years and no-claims discount determine your car premium

Most Dutch car insurers use a bonus-malus system: for each year you drive claim-free, you climb a step on the ladder and earn a higher no-claims discount on the base premium. The maximum discount often ranges from 75% to 80%. When you claim, you usually drop a fixed number of steps—often 5 years, but this varies by insurer. This means you not only lose part of your built-up discount, but also climb more slowly in subsequent years. The ultimate premium impact depends on your specific bonus-malus table and whether the insurer adjusts your base premium. In practice, a claim of a few hundred euros can lead to a premium increase of €10 to €30 per month, which over five years quickly amounts to an extra €600 to €1,800—far more than the original damage. Always check your own policy conditions or use the claim-free years and premium checklist to understand the precise consequences.

*Note: the exact fallback, premiums, and discount percentages vary by insurer and policy. This example is purely illustrative. Always refer to your own policy conditions for the figures that apply to you.

Some insurers offer a 'no-claims protection' (bonusbeschermer) that allows one small claim without losing claim-free years. Other policies have milder rules for glass or parking damage. It's therefore wise to review your policy carefully or consider comparing car insurance without commission if you're unsure whether your current terms still suit you.

Calculation example: a €400 scratch repair

Take a common scenario: you have a car with WA+ cover (limited casco), a €150 deductible, and you've built up 10 claim-free years. You scrape a pole and the repair costs €400. The question: claim or pay yourself? If you pay yourself, you're out €400 immediately. If you claim, you first pay the €150 deductible. Additionally, you fall back on the bonus-malus ladder, causing your premium to rise from e.g. €300 to €420 per year—an increase of €120 per year. Over the next five years, you pay €600 extra premium. The total cost of claiming thus comes to €150 + €600 = €750, whereas self-paying costs only €400. In this case, paying yourself is financially more attractive. However, if the repair were €1,500, claiming would quickly become the better option. Use the step-by-step plan below to make the calculation for your own situation.

For other non-life insurances, such as your furnished rental home insurance or e-bike insurance, a similar trade-off applies: check the deductible, whether there is a no-claims regulation, and how large the premium effect is.

When you should (or must) claim or report damage

Not every damage is a free choice. Damage you cause to others—the liability (WA) part of your car insurance or your personal liability insurance (AVP)—must always be reported. The insurer handles the claim, and this inevitably affects your claim-free years or premium. For damage to your own car (casco cover), you are not legally obliged to claim, but many policies have a reporting obligation (meldplicht): you must report any incident that could lead to a claim within a set period—often 14 days. If you fail to do so, the insurer may reject a later, larger claim. Similarly, for theft, fire, or storm damage to your contents or building, claiming is usually logical because the amounts are high and the premium impact is relatively smaller. It pays to bear the small risks yourself and use insurance for what it's designed for: covering financial shocks you cannot or do not wish to bear alone.

• Third-party damage (liability) – always report; the insurer will process the claim.
• Theft, fire, or total loss – the amounts are too high to bear yourself.
• Repair costs to your own car or home that far exceed the sum of the deductible plus multi-year premium increase.
• Situations where you have no-claims protection that prevents a fallback.

Common mistakes when deciding to claim or self-pay

The most common mistake is only looking at the deductible and ignoring the premium increase. People often think: 'I pay a €150 deductible, which is less than the repair, so I claim. But the real cost over the coming years can be much higher. Another mistake is underestimating the impact of a claim on your switching options. Your claim-free years are personal and registered in the national system (Roy-data). A lower status makes switching to another insurer more expensive, because you must declare your bonus-malus position almost everywhere. Additionally, people sometimes claim small contents damages while their policy has a no-claims discount of 10–15%; losing that discount over multiple years is more expensive than the claim. Confusing 'reporting' and 'claiming' is another pitfall: you can report an incident and explicitly state that you are not (yet) claiming. Ask for this in writing to avoid misunderstandings.

Another mistake is not knowing about the option to increase your voluntary deductible. Doing so lowers your monthly premium, but you must be willing and able to pay small damages yourself. This fits the strategy of using insurance only for major blows.

What to check in your own policy

To make a proper trade-off, you need to know exactly how your policy works. This doesn't mean memorising the whole document, but you should have the crucial pages handy. For car insurance, check the bonus-malus table (often a separate appendix), the deductible per cause of damage, the fallback rules, and any exceptions for glass or parking damage. For contents and buildings, check the insured sum, the deductible, and whether a no-claims discount or premium increase applies after a claim. Many people, for instance, don't realise that underinsurance also plays a role: if you are underinsured, the insurer only pays a proportional share, which affects your claim motive.

• Bonus-malus table and fallback years (car insurance)
• Deductible per cover (car, contents, buildings, travel, legal expenses)
• No-claims discount or premium scale (car and home insurances)
• Reporting obligation and deadline after an incident
• Existence and workings of no-claims protection
• Exclusions: e.g., damage due to wear and tear or inherent defect

When it makes sense to have an adviser look with you

The above information gives you a solid basis to make the decision yourself. Yet every situation is unique, and policy conditions can sometimes be hard to decipher. At that point, it can be useful to have an independent adviser review your policies. They can not only explain exactly how your bonus-malus ladder works, but also calculate what a possible claim would cost you in the long run. Moreover, such an adviser can check whether you're paying too much premium due to hidden commissions. PolisMoment connects you with one commission-free office that does not resell your details and where you remain entirely free of obligation. Read first how the free non-life insurance check works to see what to expect.

The conversation is non-binding, so you are under no obligation. The adviser looks at the substance of your policies, not just the price, and clearly explains your options. An independent advice firm is independent from insurers and works without sales pressure. That gives you peace of mind in your decision.